Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin

     Christ Church Cathedral, also known as The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, has a history beginning in 1030 A.D.  It started out as a Roman Catholic church, but today it represents the Church of Ireland denomination.  What is the Church of Ireland?  It is an Anglican church associated with the Church of England.  Within the church, some members are more Catholic-leaning and some are more Protestant-leaning, but overall the Church of Ireland is considered a Protestant denomination.
     The building is the oldest medieval cathedral in Dublin.  It started out as a wooden building, replaced by stone, expanded, and renovated over the years.

Interior of the Church
The church underwent extensive renovations during the Victorian era because it was in danger of collapsing.  Some say it was "Victorianized" too much, but a lot of examples of medieval building show through.   

This is the Portlester Chapel built in the mid 15th century.  It was unroofed in 1773.  The remaining structure was repaired in 1880.  Those slabs are the grave stones of people buried in the church.

The exterior is being spruced up now, so this is the only exterior shot I could get without scaffolding in it.

The is a 9th century grave stone thought to have supernatural powers.  Over the years, it was stolen many times, but it always managed to be returned to the church.  It was taken for the last time in 1826.  The robbers finally abandoned the stone when it became too heavy for the horses to carry.  Some people who found the discarded stone attempted to break it up, but they were unsuccessful.  The stone was set in its present location in 1860.  You are supposed to touch it for good fortune.  

Mike and I touched the stone together.